Why does Obi-Wan touch his face/beard so much in Episode 3???

This has bothered me a little bit in Episode 3. Obi-Wan is touching his face/beard with his hands all the time, like in the birth of the twins scene, and when he gets on the ship after beating Anakin. And other scenes also. In the Original Trilogy I never see him do this,



Thoughts???

 

Perhapse just an acting tequnique on McGreggor's part to better express Obi-Wan's feelings?
~Azure_Angel

 

And other scenes also. In the Original Trilogy I never see him do this,


Huh ? Rewatch ANH, in his hut on Tatoonine talking to Luke.

 

I think it's a very effective way of showing his emotions in body language. Whenever I'm overcome with grief, I usually put my hand over my mouth. I've seen others do it as well.

 

And other scenes also. In the Original Trilogy I never see him do this,


Are you blind (no offence intended)? The whole reason to do it is to be more like Alec Guinnes and McGregor succeeds in doing that. I love this in the film. Shows how good McGeregor is in the role. Yet another example of how McGregor gets Guinness' moves from the original trilogy.

 

people with beards like to scratch them. trust me.

 

People often put there hand on there chin when thinking hard about something or remembering.

 

out of everything that could bother you about ep3 you chose obi-wan scratching his beard? wow!

 

Its a comforting gesture. Notice Obi-Wan only does it during times of stress or crisis. Even powerful Jedi need some comfort every now and again.

I think it was a great humanizing gesture from Ewan. :

 

Alec Guiness would only do it in ANH. First time is when Luke says his real name. He does it again during his conversation with Luke about Anakin and later after watching the holorecording. He does it one last time when he feels Alderaan be destroyed. Ewan MacGregor chose to emulate that in ROTS, because the films are meant to bleed into each other. He said that he really studied Guiness for ROTS, so that not only would he look like him, but make that connection to his work while maintaining his own style.

 

Actually, Obi-Wan does do this in ANH when he feels the disturbance in the force immediately following Alderaan's destruction.

 

yea that's great. Out of all the things the prequel missed to make the two trilogies work together they got obi-wan stroking his beard. Wow.

 

If I had a beard (that grew evenly) so well-trimmed and colored, I'd probably touch it a lot too. Haha!

Seriously, though ... I think this gesture communicates a great amount of wisdom and emotion simultaneously. Not sure what I mean by that, but that's what it tells me.

 

Thinks to self,"no comment", while stroking beard.

 

Obi-Wan even touches his beard when he's a ghost. Now that means you have a salty beard - if it itches when it's not even really there.

 

lol, too true. If you rewatch TPM, I believe Qui-Gon does it a time or two as well. Like Master, like student?

 

Probably a nervous habit or something, for when he's mulling things over - esp after the wear and tear of the Clone Wars.

Or maybe he has an itchy beard.

 

It itches.

 

There's a deleted scene in TPM that I always wondered why they took out. It's when they're in the council, and Qui Gon is touching his beard.

Yoda: Touch his beard so much, why must he?

Mace: He can feel an itch before it happens. It's a jedi trait.


Ha ha ha ha!

 

It's a character trait guys, that's all. We identify that gesture with Obi-Wan. It's one of the more iconic images of Alec Guiness in the OT. So Ewan does it too, helping close the gap between trilogies. And Qui-Gon does it before him, so Obi-Wan may have gotten it from there. It's little conscientious details like that which make the Saga work together.

 

But I think it's just common human response more than that. If you have a beard, you touch it. The same way you stretch when you're not loose.

 

I concur with the rest of my hardcore OT olbie peers... watch ANH an you will notice him stroking his whiskers frequently.
MacGregor did an outstanding job throughout the entire PT, I thought. One of the coolest things with the PT is that
it's about Obi-Wan almost as much as Anakin. Growing up, I had always imagined what Obi was like back in the day, and I
have to say now that all three PT films have had time to set in fully, he was pretty bad#$$!

 

haha all great answers!!!

 

Its the deep thought, or pondering body language. When your in thought your hands like to keep busy with routine,I, for example, tap my fingers in beats when I think or play air guitar.

Obi Wan strokes his beard.

 

My take, he has a lot to ponder on and think about and deal with in ROTS, some of us men touch our beards as a habitual reaction when we are thinking or have something on our minds.